Wednesday 23rd June was fine from the start, a glimpse of summer after the dense cloud and rain of the past few days and probably just a glitch in the general trend...The rain and warmth had caused amazing growth, vegetation growing twice s tall as usual. Oaks were now in full leaf. Hazels had produced huge leaves and new branches extending outwards and upwards, even wild flowers such as buttercups followed the pattern, reaching for the sky, was the sun still there? Flowering wild Roses (Rosa canine) are always a sign that all's well and summer has arrived, but this year their flowering was brilliant but short-lived:
6th June 2021 Bumblebee on wild rose. and below, also 6th June - Red Clovers and Buttercups:
A dense mix of natural ground cover, thankfully unmown, which would attract a good diversity of insects now that the weather had improved. Hoverflies and bees most prevalent as the sun became hot.
The numbers of birds in full song on 23rd June was a surprise but they were responding to the brightness of the sun and the length of the day. House sparrows were again most numerous in various hedgerows and brambles (70) and goldfinches (13) were also singing but much less visible in the thickets.
The prevailing weather had suited blackbirds(23) and song thrushes (9) with perfect conditions for foraging for invertebrates in soft layers of damp leaf-litter in the undergrowth. The variations in the songs of the song thrushes was unprecedented, some being very close and loud, the presence of a human was not tempering their calls - they were not identifying me as a human threat. Chiffchaffs were the next most prolific singers, their song cannot be compared with the thrushes but it is nevertheless affective as are their contact calls. Thirteen were identified. Willow warblers have a distinctive song and three were heard today, with 4 garden warblers singing. These were spread out along the river course mostly in dense damp habitat near the willows. There were 12 unmistakable blackcaps - all singing too, also in willows and mixed thickets, and 2 common whitethroats nesting in bramble shrubs with a probable lesser whitethroat in taller vegetation.
Wrens (18) were singing but the actual number is probably higher, with those nesting unseen. Three Dunnock were visible along the paths. Fewer robins are seen and heard at this time of the year with 12 today most singing.
Delayed broods of Blue ts (15) and Great ts (7) were doing well with adults still feeding fledged young in some locations. Two goldcrests were seen flying across to a dense conifer.Twenty wood pigeons were seen in various places, some up from bathing in the river and just one collared dove. Two nuthatches were present but keeping low profiles as usual this summer. Only 4 starlings were present - most still nesting - we have yet to hear the noisy calls of the fledged young.There were 8 herring gulls in the air, eleven carrion-crows, two silent magpies and a single jay in the trees.
A kingfisher was seen flying fast and low over the river Arun and a Cetti's warbler was heard not far from where the first one for this location was heard (loudly) and seen last spring - but not as close up this year.
A common buzzard was heard calling, then appeared directly above me. Two more buzzards joined it, all three flying closely together, the group being chased by a carrion-crow. The crow soon dropped away and the buzzards drifted south with the northerly breeze.
It was very good to see an adult male grey wagtail which flew out from the steep river bank (Arun) to land on a partially submerged branch across the river where it could be seen catching flies with the female of the pair just upstream. A grey bird with striking black and white tail feathers flew low across the bankside nettles above them - this was one of the fledged juveniles, still being fed by the adults.
Butterflies seen were:
Meadow Browns - fresh, not yet faded, flying low over the tall grasses, Ringlet, several, Large Skipper, Small Skippers, Large White.
Dragonflies seen:
Banded Demoiselle damselfly, Large Red damselfly, White-legged damselfly, Azure damselfly, Black-tailed Skimmer, Broad-bodied Chaser.
Reptiles seen:
A surprise - a fine Grass Snake in a small pond - it was snatching at insects on the surface of the water and in the air, it's head and body showing the distinctive Natrix natrix markings. It was possibly watching the movements of dragonfly perched and flying to and from a broad leaf.
There will be a separate post on the dragonflies soon.
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